Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-10-21

SAAOSAANA
ter than it has been for some time.
a Toronto defaulter has fed to this coun-
try to avoid arrest and punishment. He will
be lonesome here. Most of our defaulters
are where he came from.
According to one of the French chemical
journals, plant belonging to the lettuce
tribe, technically known as soachus olera-
ceus, and common on the wayside and
among dry rubbish heaps in France, has
been found to yield, in fair proportion, a
very good quality of eaoutchouo. To this
end, the plants are stepped in carbon bisul-
phide and afterwards boiled in alcohol and
caustic potash. About 4.3 per cent. of the
weight is thus obtained as caoutchouc
By law passed by the last legislature in
Massachusetts, any criminal convicted of a
State prison ofense who has previously serv-
ed two terms of more than three years each
must be sentenced to twenty-five years i'm
prisonment. A Lynn horse thief is the first
to test the efficacy of this law, having re-
after it had been shown that he had already
served two terms of five years each in State
prison. Much good may It do him and the
State.
At meeting of Boston merchants it was
shown that real estate in the busiest retail
section of the city, on Washington and Ire
mont streets, between Winter and Boylstor
streets, has been marked up from 80 to 5t
per cent, so that while the rate of taxation
has been kept down, the amount of the tai
has been very largely increased, in some
cases as much as 1875 per cent. within foul
years. The merchants present represented
the largest retail concerns in Boston and the
protest, which is very sharp, is really cal
for decided change in the city government
It was held that appeals to the assessors
for abatements would not cure the evil. The
trouble is in the extravaganza and corrup
ton at the city hall, and no permanent re-
lief will be gained until a change comes
One speaker declared that the Boston city
government is as corrupt as ever New York
was under the Tweed regime.
1t is understood that the French spoliatior
claims will occupy much of tie attention Of
L06 COuTC OL SlaiuS, WulCn ls To U0SLu WOrk
again October 81. It has passed upon only
few cases SO far, but has occupied much
time in making rules of proceeding, etc
When the court finds that claim is good
and tixes upon the amount due, the case il
referred to Congress, and no money is paid
till Congress appropriates a sufficient sum te
settle the claim. No one of these claims
can be less than eighty six years old-and
most of them are eighty eight or ninety years
old. In many cases the heirs are unable tc
find papers necessary to establish the proof oi
their loss. They must prove the custom
house clearance and manifest, name of yes
sci, captain, owner, the time she was cap
tured and name and nationality of the cruiser
that captured her. Many of these old papers
were long since consigned to the flames Oh
sent to the paper mill. Many Connecticut
people are interested in these claims.
The new metal for guns which has beer
invented by Alfred A. Cowlss, of Cleveland
is the product of using aluminium alloy
with ordinary gun metal in such manne
as to give more elasticity to the arm than ha
ever before been attained. The inventor